James May speaks out about safety on car shows and The Grand Tour's future with trio
James May has spoken openly about safety on car shows and the future of The Grand Tour with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. Plus, the star revealed he wouldn't rule out working with Clarkson and Hammond again on another TV project.
Conversation turned to cars while the TV presenter, 60, was guest editing Today on Radio 4 on Wednesday. There has been a lot of discourse about safety after Top Gear was paused following host Freddie Flintoff's crash. Recently, ex-presenter Tiff Needell said Top Gear put "non-racing drivers into racing situations" when he weighed in on the debate.
Now former Top Gear star May was put in the hot seat when he was asked about his opinion on the safety of car shows. The presenter reassured listeners that Clarkson, Hammond and himself have always and continue to take car safety very seriously.
He said on Radio 4: "I think we did used to take it very seriously, and continue to. There's our own safety, which is one thing, but also safe driving. People say, 'you encourage bad driving you're responsible for a culture of yobbery on the road'.
"But I don't think so because people were having crashes long before Top Gear or the Grand Tour existed. And also, we used to behave like hooligans on things like race circuits, our own test track, off-road, you never saw us driving stupidly on the roads."
He added: "I've always maintained, and I think the other two would agree with me, that my remaining ambition in motoring is not to own a Bugatti, it's to get to the end of my life without running over anybody, because that's the most laudable one."
The Grand Tour's future
Following the news that Top Gear was being "rested", attention turned to the future of The Grand Tour in recent weeks. Everyone has been waiting to find out whether May, Clarkson and Hammond will reunite for another series of the Amazon Prime series but the trio have remained tight-lipped on a definite answer. "We've filmed the last one for now," he said.
Then May joked: "I suppose that makes me technically unemployed. I can hear the cheers rolling around the country." He further explained: "We’ve got two in the bag. One coming out very soon, not sure what I’m allowed to say here. Another one coming out a bit after that."
They have filmed their final special episode of The Grand Tour in Zimbabwe and it has been scheduled to air on the small screen later next year. Plus, the trio have filmed another The Grand Tour special in Mauritania which will air in February.
Reuniting with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond
Cryptically, May wouldn't reveal whether or not the trio were going to do another series of The Grand Tour. "The brutal truth is I don't know yet," he admitted. It's publicly known their contracts were up shortly, leaving their future on the show uncertain.
Having worked together for 20 years, it's no surprise that May would consider reuniting with Clarkson and Hammond. "I wouldn't rule it out," he said of working again with his TV co-stars. "But you do have to bear it in mind we are all getting on a bit. I have been doing it for 20 years plus. We didn’t think it would last that long. Yes that’s always part of the conversation how we land it with grace rather than fly it into a cliff."
However, with all the inventions and advancements in cars, May was confident that the car show format would live on. He said: "Despite us coming to our end of doing this and cancellation of Top Gear... There has never been a better time for a car show. The car show itself requires reinvention in line with the times."
